


Poor Unfortunate Alec

by LePresident_Miaou



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Human!Jace, Jalec is Brotp, M/M, Malec, Mermaid!Alec, Slow Build, Smut, Top!Magnus, bottom!alec, more tags to come, warlock!Magnus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-10
Packaged: 2018-08-28 21:27:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8463538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LePresident_Miaou/pseuds/LePresident_Miaou
Summary: Alec is a merman, sick of the ocean. One day when his father told him that on the day of his 18th birthday he'll have to marry someone he doesn't even know, Alec swim away and meet a beautiful stranger that saves his life. Unfortunately, a merman and a human isn't a thing Alec have ever thought about. What if all of this could change? What if a powerful warlock could help him becoming something else?





	1. Part of his wolrd

**Author's Note:**

> Again, a huge thank you to the beautiful and magnificent @Lecrit for beta-ing this chapter, I don't know what I would do without her and her great advice, she clearly motivates me so much to write more. Love you my dear P'tit Lu d'amour <3
> 
> Always @PresidentMiaou on twitter, I promise I don't bite :3 
> 
> Comments and kudos makes a writer happy ! <3
> 
> *Blowing kisses to all my DMT family*

Alec had never been a normal boy, and of course, how could he be a normal boy when he was living in Alicante, a secret and hidden city underwater that nobody knew about. Even Alec wasn't able to situate Alicante on an Ocean map. The spectacular city was surrounded by a coral reef so broad and frightening that no one ever dared to find an exit, or an entrance.

 

Indeed, Alec was a merman.

 

He was the son of the great Senator Robert Lightwood, the most respected person in Alicante. He was a very protective, not to say strict father. He always had great expectations for Alec. Even if ever since Alec was a kid he had never really listened to any of his father’s warning about the outside world. 

 

Since he made his first swim alone in the not so large area around Alicante, Alec had probably explored all the parts of the reef around the city. Most of the time it was just to wander around the huge wall, trying to swim so high he would just let his head rest above the surface, watching the reef surrounding him. He could see how the large wall was more like a barrier that prevented him from crossing to the other side to discover all the wonders of the outside world. 

 

He wanted freedom, he wanted to see everything the world could give him. But he was a merman, not a human. He didn’t have legs so he wouldn’t be able to walk on the sand, to run in the green meadow he had read so much about in those old books in the Alicante’s library. He had dreamt about this so many times, he could describe it as if he already had been there.

 

But, of course it was impossible. He was the elder son of Robert Lightwood’s children, and was therefore already sure of having to marry the daughter of a random politician to ensure prosperity and inheritance. He was promised that he would succeed his father and one day and rule on Alicante as a Senator, just like his father before him. 

 

Alec didn’t approve of any of this. Alec loved his freedom, he’d loved to discover the surroundings, he wanted to explore the world. If only that damned reef did not exist.

 

Alec thought that the cursed day his father was going to announce his wedding would not happen before several years. Until the day when...

 

"Alexander, in exactly a month, you’ll turn 18, so-”

 

Alec wasn’t really listening. He was too busy dreaming of the outside world, about all the countries that he would like to visit, all these treasures, all these wonders he would discover one day and...

 

"Alexander," his father yelled, making him leave his musings

 

"Yes. I'm sorry, father," Alec said shyly, waving his pale blue tail as he was gazing at the exit of the large room. He wished he could escape and swim away from this place.

 

His father has insisted to speak to him in the largest room of the Senate. Alec didn’t really liked being here, it was so austere, so huge, and Alec felt like he could be judged at any moment by his dad. 

 

The room was filled with paintings, sculptures of formers consuls or senators, and to be honest, it scared Alec to think that maybe one day, he would have his face painted on one of those walls. 

 

He still wasn’t listening when he felt his father’s hand resting on his shoulder, and he snapped from his gloomy thought to look at him.

 

"Like I said, the day of your 18th birthday is approaching and I wanted let you know that, on that day, Alexander, you’ll marry the daughter of my dear friend, the Consul Branwell."

 

Alec let out a gasp of horror when his father told him the news.

 

"Wh... what?" Alec stammered with a shaky voice.

 

"You didn’t hear me? Alexander, how many times will I have to repeat to you the things I said -" Robert started but Alec cut him off.

 

"No, I’ve heard! I’ve even heard very well and it's absolutely impossible! I don’t want to and I won’t! I won’t marry anyone I don’t love!"

 

"Alexander, it's not your decision to make and love has nothing to do with this wedding." His father frowned and Alec knew he was angry.

 

"I won’t marry anyone, Father! You heard me? I -" Alec’s voice raised as he began to clench his fists with anger.

 

"Alexander!" His father yelled, his voice way too loud and scary, so Alec brought his long tail, of a pretty blue, to his face to protect himself from his wrath.

 

"You will marry the daughter of the Consul Branwell on the day of your 18th birthday, it's already settled anyway," his father said, turning away from his son, who was still too astonished by the news to move.

 

At these words, Alec felt tears beading in the corner of his eyes. His father stopped and then he started to swim towards the exit of the hall, leaving Alec among the empty seat, weeping hot tears and sobbing as he was now alone in the spooky hall. 

 

"Alec?" A voice that sounded too familiar to Alec made him look up, his eyes still blurry by the tears but he could recognize this voice between any other.

 

He wrapped his tail around himself, that was pretty long for a young merman. The tip was covering his face, hiding the fact that he was now sobbing like a child. 

 

“Alec you’re crying? What happened?” Izzy was swimming toward him faster but with grace as always, her beautiful red tail matching with her lipstick. 

 

“I ... I need to be alone Izzy. Please," Alec started to cry even more, as Izzy came closer.

 

She tried to surround him with her arms but Alec swam so fast that Izzy did not have time to see which way he was gone. She tried to follow him but in vain. Alec was very fast, he might be the fastest mermaid of his generation as he was swimming since his birth. Usually, merfolk babies stayed for few months with their parents so they could learn how to swim properly, how to use their tail and only after those few months, they got their colors.Unlike Alec, who got his color as soon as he was born.

 

The color of the tail had a meaning to merfolks, and usually, a baby’s tail was white at birth and the color changed as they made their first steps into the vast ocean. 

 

The green tail for the wise as they were born to lead, and would guide the others.

 

The red tail for the lovers who would cherish their friends and family and take care of them.

 

The purple tail for the smart ones who would teach their children about the world and his dangers.

 

Alec’s father had a green tail, his mother a purple one, and Izzy and Max had a red one. 

 

Alec was the only one to have a blue tail in the merfolk history, and no one had ever told him what it meant. He had searched for years, but had never found an answer. So after years and years, he had simply stopped asking.

 

***

 

Alec swam fast and without turning back, until he arrived in front of the impressive coral reef, which prevented him from going any further. Alec felt the tears flow again, and began to throw his fists against the reef, which of course did not move.

 

He continued to strike again and again until a shell that was maybe too sharp scraped his hand. Alec gasped and looked at his wounded hand as the blood started to disperse in the ocean.

 

With a sigh of despair, he put both hands against the shell wall. He held back his tears. He wanted to cry but it was useless; his father would find him sooner or later. And he would be forced to marry this girl for the honor. Alec laughed. The honor… Where was the honor if there was no love? 

 

Alec had never really had an attraction to the other mermaids he had already met. He prefered to spend most of his time reading in the vast spaces of the ocean, full of fresh algae where he could just lie, sometimes playing with the small baby seahorses that had come to nap in his hair .

 

Alec thought about his freedom, the little bit of liberty he had and that was going to be taken away.

 

At the moment he withdrew his hands, he felt the gigantic wall shaking and a hole burst into the reef wall. He bent down to look through the breach, and saw that he had just enough room to slip in and cross to the other side. He felt the walls closing on him as he passed through the breach.

 

As he thought he had crossed the opening without problems, he was retained by a slight pressure on his tail which prevented him from advancing.

 

Alec turned back and watched with horror to realize that the end of his tail was stuck in the gap that had just closed.

 

Trying to escape, he felt that something was wrong. As a tingling pain began to spread through his tail, the pressure of the stone was crushing it.

 

Alec found himself stuck, and after several minutes that had appeared to be several hours he was overwhelmed with panic and began to scrape the wall with his hands, still sore from the previous wound he had earned by hitting the wall. After a few minutes, he realized that the wall had given him new scrapes and he ended with bloody hands, once again.

 

Alec put his forehead against the stone and began to weep.

 

Suddenly, a movement behind him made him jump, but he couldn’t even turn back to see what it was, and he started to panic again.

 

Whatever the thing behind him was, it kept moving and Alec suddenly saw a huge spear stuck into the rock, only mere millimeters from his tail.

 

"No no no no! Stop! Stop it please," Alec was trying to scream but his voice remained stuck in his throat.

 

The harpoon stopped hitting the stone, and Alec felt a hand on his shoulder. Alec opened his eyes to realize the thing that had terrified him was incredibly beautiful.

 

Beautiful, or rather handsome, since this was a young man. Alec could see that he was holding his breath and he was trying to help Alec to get out of his coral trap.

 

Unlike Alec, he was a human. Alec had never seen one before, but he had read a lot of things about them. He has read that humans were selfish, arrogant, proud, but he never read anywhere that they were so beautiful. 

 

Contrary to his father, Alec has always thought that humans were interesting even though all his teachers or family members were saying that if humans knew about merfolks, they would hunt them to study them in scary places called a lab. They would probably put them in small aquariums, using them as freaks to entertain themselves… Or worst, they would hunt them for their tails, as they were very rare and precious.

 

Alec merely nodded, as he didn’t know what he was agreeing to, his savior took the gesture as a sign that he could continue his attempts to break the rock.

 

After some new moves, Alec was able to free his tail from the breach that had left him prisoner.

 

As he turned to thank the young man, the latter let out his last breath, and Alec had just enough time to catch his savior before he goes down to the bottom of the ocean.

 

His tail was hurting and he was struggling to swim, but he still managed to raise the young human to the surface. 

 

As he sprung his and his savior’s head from the ocean, he realized he was near a large beach, that was bordered by the ocean.

 

“Wow,” was all Alec managed to say before he saw that his savior was sinking. He hadn’t woken up yet.

 

Alec started to freak out as he swam toward the beach, carrying his savior. 

 

He manage to lay him on the sand as he was crawling to stand beside him. The young man had blonde messy hair and he looked so young, maybe as young as Alec.

 

Alec began to run one of his hand on the young man’s cheek, as his other hand stopped on his savior’s heart. It was still beating, he could feel it, even though it was a weak heartbeat.

 

He lowered himself over the blonde’s face, so close to his lips, and he took a huge breath. He turned deep red thinking about what he was going to do.

 

Alec was about to kiss this stranger, and above everything, he was a human. 

 

It’s not a real kiss Alec, you’re trying to save his life, as he just saved yours ! Alec thought to himself as his lips came closer to the other man’s.

 

He didn’t even had the time to do anything that his savior began to cough violently, spewing water that was stuck in his lungs. 

 

Alec jumped, as he was surprised to see the man moving so quickly, as he watched him sitting, Alec tried to crawl back to the water.

 

“No! Wait!” the man coughed even more.

 

Alec turned around, catching the gaze of the young man. He had beautiful blue eyes with a small taint of brown in one of them. He was truly beautiful and Alec stopped as the young man rose to his feet to sit next to him.

 

“What... Sorry, who are you?” the blonde asked.

 

“I’m-” Alec didn’t even know he could speak to a human. He had never thought he would. “My name is Alec.”

 

“I’m Jace, Jace Herondale.” The boy was looking at Alec with his bright blue and brown eyes. “You just saved my life,” Jace said as he was smiling to Alec.

 

“You saved mine,” Alec answered with a shy smile.

 

Jace ran his hand on Alec’s tail, and Alec shivered. 

 

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Jace winced seeing Alec squirm. “Did I hurt you?”

 

“No. It’s fine,” Alec whispered, seeing that Jace looked worried sick. 

 

How could he have told him that his tail was one of the most erogenous zones? He blushed more when Jace gazed at him.

 

"I've never seen anything so beautiful," Jace muttered as if he were talking to himself.

 

Alec's heart raced in his chest and he suddenly wondered why. Jace was beautiful, of course, but what he felt was much stranger. He did not know, and yet he seemed to be bound to it.

 

He was about to say something, but then he saw that Jace was looking at him weirdly. He seemed both worried and panicked. 

 

"Your hands!" he almost cried while Alec lowered his eyes only.

 

His hands were covered with blood and cuts. Some larger than others, and the sand and the sea water was not going to make things better. Alec began to feel the pain and winced.

 

"How long can you stay out of the water?" Jace asked, running his hands under Alec to lift him up.

 

"Huh? What? A few minutes I guess. I've read that some merfolks could spend several hours out of water, but I don’t know if I can. I never .." Alec was cut off by Jace who began to walk toward the manor who was on top of a hill.

 

"Where are we going?" Alec asked, panicked.

 

He didn’t know Jace, he could be taking him somewhere and lock him forever, to use him as an attraction, put him in an aquarium. He began to panic and his breathing became faster. It was hard to handle stress, and his breath was suddenly cut off.

 

"Alec?" Jace walked faster and faster, trying to keep him awake. "Just a few more meters, we're almost there." He whispered in his ear.

 

Alec closed his eyes and focused on Jace’s heartbeats, to wedge his breath to them. He wrapped his arms around his savior’s shoulders and fell asleep.

 

***

 

Alec woke up to the sound of water running. He was in a kind of container, filled with water, and his heart began to beat faster and faster. Was that what was called an "aquarium"? He had seen some pictures in his books, but this one was different. At least it was better than a gutter full of dirty water.

 

He was in a huge room filled with sinks and mirrors, the walls were bright white and blue, letting the light from the outside brightening the room. His movements were restricted, as he was captive in a strange vessel. Just as he tried to get out of there, the door opened and Jace appeared.

 

"Ah! You're awake," Jace smiled and Alec felt he was blushing. "You passed out before we got here. I was afraid. You were barely breathing, but when I put you in the water, your breathing returned to normal." Alec listened to Jace’s explanations as he was saying that he had to be vigilant so that nobody could see him enter with a merman in his arms.

 

They had been lucky, Jace lived alone with his father, but he was often away for work, so there was only few employees who took care of the house, but it was still avoid being seen.

 

"Jace?" Jace whispered, frightened by the possible answer to his question. "Did you put me in an aquarium?"

 

Jace looked at Alec incredulously, before bursting into laughter.

 

"No, Alec, you're in a bathtub," Jace replied with a smile.

 

"Bath what?" Alec merely repeated.

 

"Yes, you know, as when you’re having a bath... Usually I wash in that bathtub, it is attached to my bedroom.”

 

Jace explained to Alec that humans generally washed in a shower or bath. He showed Alec a range of shampoo and shower gel.

 

Alec was immediately attracted by a shampoo bottle with lemon and mint flavor.

 

He had never felt anything like this, and, being very curious, Alec licked the excess of shampoo that was on the edge of the bottle. He grimaced at the bitter and strange taste.

 

Jace laughed again before taking the flask from Alec, gently.

 

"No, it is not something you can eat, wait, I'll show you." Jace rolled up his sleeves before getting behind Alec, who turned in the tub and water splashed everywhere and everything, including Jace. "Turn around as you were before."

 

Alec pouted before returning to his comfortable position in its container.

 

He suddenly felt two hands in his hair and jerked slightly at the contact. A smell of lemon and mint quickly floated into the room and Alec quickly relaxed under Jace’s ministrations.

 

"It's good," Alec whispered.

 

Jace took the time to rinse Alec’s hair with lukewarm water. Before grabbing a towel and started drying them. 

 

"Tell me about yourself Alec,” Jace asked, still in the process of drying hair Alec. “I've been there a hundreds times, swimming in the lagoon, but I have never seen you before." 

 

"It's a long story," Alec said, still in shock of the day.

 

"I have all the time in the world." Jace smiled, and Alec could feel his smile in his voice.

 

Alec began to tell him the history of Alicante as he had read it in his history books, before telling his own story: that he was the only merman with a blue tail and nobody had never deigned to tell him what it meant.

 

Jace listened quietly, arms folded on the edge of the bathtub, head resting on his forearm.

 

Alec went on to tell him all the events of his day.

 

"My father -," Alec began.

 

"Who is Senator? Is that it?" Jace cut in.

 

"Yes," Alec sighed. "He called me today to remind me that I will turn 18 in a month and that he wanted me to marry the daughter of a consul I don’t even know. So I... I ran away. I know they might be looking for me like right now but, Jace -“ Alec came closer and Jace didn’t move, he could see that Alec was almost crying. “I don’t want to go back”

 

Jace got up and ran a hand in Alec's hair. He stroke them gently as he kept talking to Alec.

 

"Alec, nobody has the right to force you to do something you don’t want to do, no matter if they are your father or the Queen of England, you are the only master of your choices."

 

Alec smiled. He wanted to stay here with Jace, but it was impossible, he couldn’t even tell him, but he was beginning to weaken. A mermaid needs saltwater to survive and the water in the bathtub didn’t bring him what he needed.

 

On top of that, he could not stay in Jace’s bathtub forever. He needed to swim. He needed space, to explore new oceans, new countries.

 

"You can stay here as long as your wounds are still healing if you want." Jace stood up. "I'll get some stuff to eat, you want something?" He asked and Alec shook his head. To express his displeasure, his stomach gurgled violently.

 

He blushed again, and Jace laughed.

 

"I'll see what I can find," Jace smiled and walked through the door.

 

He returned quickly with a large plate of… Alec didn’t know what that was, and looked at Jace with a suspicious look. 

 

"These are spaghetti, I hope you'll like it," he said before planting his fork into the dish. "I told myself that it would look bad for you to eat fish or meat. So I just made spaghetti with tomato and parsley sauce, I added a bit of cumin and rosemary to spice things up, I like it when it’s spicy."

 

Alec wrapped some spaghetti around his fork and began to eat. It was delicious. But he was struggling to eat his pasta.

 

Jace chuckled before showing Alec how to eat properly with his fork.

 

He wrapped a good amount of pasta, and while half fell on his plate he stuffed his fork into his mouth and sucked noisily.

 

Alec looked at him suspiciously, and then caught a single spaghetti. He sucked as Jace had done just before him.

 

He was surprised when the spaghetti, instead of ending in his mouth as expected, made a small detour to crash into his face.

 

Jace tried to not snort, but it was too hard. He laughed while Alec stared at him, tomato sauce all over his face.

 

Jace grabbed the towel to wipe the young merman’s face.

 

"You look like Lady in The Beauty and the Tramp but less hairy,” he remarked.

 

Alec tilted his head, and Jace realized he had no idea what he was talking about. He rose quickly to exit the room and came back in the bathroom with a funny box.

 

Alec then watched him opened the box.

 

"So, Alec, this is a computer. It can be used to do many things, like asking questions, searching for images, videos… uhm," Jace tried to explain to Alec as simply as possible.

 

Once Jace had finished his explanation, Alec laughed.

 

"What?" Jace asked, puzzled.

 

"I know what it is, I read a lot about computers, but the ones I have seen in my books weren’t really like that," Alec admitted as he settled comfortably in his bathtub.

 

Jace tapped on his computer minutes before settling near Alec. The screen was black first, then music was heard, and a picture emerged:

 

"The Lady and the Tramp"

 

The movie started and Alec hadn't missed a second, he remained marveled at the display, and he pouted when the movie ended.

 

"You liked it?" Jace asked, even though he knew the answer.

 

"Yes! It was incredible!" Alec replied with enthusiasm, then he pouted again "but you compared me to a dog, a female dog!"

 

"Sorry Alec, you wanna watch another movie?" Jace asked, again, aware of the answer.

 

"Can we? Really?" Alec's face lit up when Jace rose to choose another movie.

 

After some discussions and debate, they decided to watch Terminator. Alec had preferred the first film, and he let Jace launch another one called Avatar.

 

Alec didn’t even see the half of it, he fell asleep in his bath with Jace beside him.

 

As he woke up, Alec was alone in the cold water that remained in the bathtub. He searched for Jace, panicked that the young man would have left him in here.

 

“Jace. Jace? Jace!” Alec called. He was frozen, and could barely move.

 

“Alec, are you ok?” Jace stumbled into the bathroom to see that Alec was shaking. “Oh my god, what’s happening?” He ran towards Alec, kneeling at his side.

 

“I’m freezing, I need warmth,” Alec managed to say, as he saw Jace was turning the hot water on, he shook his head “I mean, like, body warmth.”

 

Alec was blushing as he saw Jace stepping into the bathtub with him. Fortunately, it was large enough for both of them, and Jace wrapped his arms around Alec, pushing him closer to his chest. 

 

Being in Jace’s arms felt so good, but Alec felt he was weaker and weaker as the minutes passed. 

 

“Alec, you’re so cold. What can I do?” Jace began to panic as Alec was shaking more vigorously in his arms.

 

“I need to go back to the ocean, I’m sorry Jace, I can’t stay in here anymore.” Alec nearly sobbed as Jace was carrying him out of the bathtub.

 

“Don’t be sorry Alec, I need to get you back there, before you feel worse,” Jace whispered in Alec’s ear. “It’s gonna be alright, hold on to me.”

 

One again, Alec wrapped his arms around Jace’s shoulders as he let the taller man carry him around the house, then in no time, he was swimming in the large ocean again, with Jace alongside him. 

 

Alec felt so much better as he felt the warmth of the ocean on his body, turning and twirling as he was moving with the waves. Jace was trying to swim as fast as Alec, but the latter wasn’t a merman, so he found himself panting, out of breath after a few minutes. 

 

A bell sound was heard, the clock already struck noon. And Jace looked at the mansion with a disappointed look. Seeing him frowning, Alec understood Jace was about to leave.

 

“It’s ok, I’ll be fine, I should probably go home by now. They might be worried about me,” Alec muttered.

 

He didn’t want to go home, he wanted to stay with Jace. And he wanted it even more, knowing that it wasn’t possible. Jace was human, and he was a merman. He wasn’t part of his world. 

 

“Promise you’ll come back? Promise you’ll drop by to say hi one day.” Jace looked at Alec with a sad smile, as his friend was swimming toward the coral reef. 

 

“Of course!” Alec smiled, tears rolling on his cheeks as he was watching Jace running toward the house. He knew if he’d go back home, his father would lock him up for ever, and he surely won’t be able to see Jace anymore. His heart broke in his chest as he was now sobbing. 

 

Suddenly, Alec felt something sticky wrapped around his tail, and he gasped when he was drawn to the bottom of the ocean.

When he opened his eyes, he was wrestled to the wall by eight huge black tentacles.

 

“My, my, what do we have here? A pretty and young blue-tailed merman, so lost, and most importantly, so far away from home.”

 

The man was tall, with black hair and black eyes, looking at him like he was about to eat him. Even if he was tall and gorgeous, he was threatening. 

 

“Who- who are you?” Alec managed to stammer as he was trying to struggle from the grip of the tentacles.

 

“Oh Dios, where are my manners,” the man laughed. “My name is Raphael, and you are?”

 

“Alec…” He simply answered as Raphael was smirking at him.

 

“Well, well, Alec, as I was saying, what are you doing so far away from your home? Some trouble in paradise in Alicante?” Raphael almost purred in Alec’s ear.

 

“How do you know that -” Alec was cut short by a tentacle shushing him. He found it quite disgusting but he closed his mouth right away.

 

“I know a lot of things. I know that for example you’re the eldest son of this dear Senator Robert Lightwood, that you’ll be forced to marry some girl you don’t know, that you ran away from home and met quite a handsome stranger. I must admit, he’s good looking,” Raphael chuckled.

 

“And now, you’re tied up between staying here with your possible one true love, or going back home where you’ll be miserable all the rest of your life.” Raphael faked a sob. “What a pity. So your best option right now is finding a way to stay with your beloved “prince” and what a coincidence, I might know a way.”

 

Alec’s eyes widened. So Raphael was actually here to help him? Alec opened his mouth to ask how it was possible, but Raphael cut him again.

 

“Have you ever heard about Magnus Bane?” Raphael almost purred the name. 

 

“Magnus Bane? You mean, the warlock?” Alec asked.

 

Of course he knew who Magnus Bane was. There was tons of books about Magnus Bane, the high warlock of Alicante’s library. Even though the stories weren’t very flattering, Magnus was known to be a very powerful sorcerer that created the reef around Alicante when the first Senator, Gideon Lightwood had requested it. 

 

Magnus was also known to be a heartless and seductive man. With a flick of his wrist, he could have anything he wanted. Maybe he was the person that could help Alec.

 

“Where can I find Magnus Bane?” Alec asked and Raphael smirked. 

 

“Oh, he’s closer than you think.” As he spoke, a blue flash light shined and what it seemed like a portal opened in front of Alec. 

 

Before he could say anything, Raphael took his wrist and stepped in.

 

***

 

When Alec was conscious again, he was with Raphael in a huge pool surrounded by a gigantic hall full of books and old paintings. Mostly paintings of Magnus at different periods of history. As the warlock was immortal, he had surely seen many things.

 

Before he could say anything the door swung open and an angry man stepped into the room.

 

“Raphael, why the hell did you bring a guest with you? I already told you that I didn’t want to see anyone and…” The man who just spoke was probably Magnus. 

 

Alec watched as he almost yelled at Raphael. The man was tall with amazing black hair dyed with some blond strands. He was wearing a long purple silk robe with cats embroidered on it. The robe was slightly opened so Alec could see his perfect hairless torso.

 

He flushed and turned his head but it was too late. Raphael had seen him and was already smirking. 

 

“Wait… Who are you?” Magnus asked.

 

“Me?” Alec turned his head to look at Magnus, who was looking at him with wide eyes as the young merman was now blushing in his main hall. 

 

“Well, now this is interesting,” Magnus smirked and Alec felt like it was probably a mistake to come here.


	2. It's a talent that I always have possessed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec, escorted by Raphael, finally meet the high warlock: Magnus Bane, a man that is... quite magical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came earlier than I thought, and I hope my lovely Parabatai will love it (I'm talking about you @S_For_Shadows) 
> 
> Once again, hugs and kisses to my DMT family <3 
> 
> Always @PresidentMiaou on twitter :D

“Well, now this is interesting” 

 

Alec was looking at the man standing just before him. He was tall, young… Alec shook his head, of course Magnus Bane was young, he was a warlock, thereby he was immortal, means he had the same face he probably had hundreds of years in the past.

 

“I know I’m quite good looking dove, but can you at least look at me in the eyes.” Magnus chuckled as he saw Alec blushed and look at him quickly.

 

Alec watched Alec looked up to find himself face to face with Magnus who had approached him. He stepped back, seeing that he had the same eyes as these small animals, Alec had read many book about land animals, but he incapable to recall what he associated those eyes with. He just stared at the two large yellow eyes with elongated pupil looking at him as if it were a precious stone.

 

"I'm listening, what the great Magnus Bane can do for you?" Magnus chuckled and sat on a large beechwood chair. He flicked fingers and a glass of red wine appeared in his right hand. Alec let out an "oh" of surprise, and Magnus smile back, amused by his host's reaction. With stylish wrist movement Alec found himself on a lounge chair, a glass of wine in hand, and his tail was surrounded by a huge water bubble. It was sea water, warm enough to make him feel comfortable, and kind of relaxed. Before he realized it, Alec was smiling, he couldn’t say he wasn’t impressed by the warlock’s magic.

 

Magnus was quite eccentric, but the young mermaid felt like he was safe around the warlock. Of course, Alec was wrong. 

 

"I love taking care of my guests" Magnus smiled as Alec put his glass on the table that was near him. "If someone had told me that the son of Robert Lightwood will find him one day in my living room, I would have redeveloped it all"  
Magnus took a large sip of wine and looked Alec insisted, seeing that the young man was troubled, he said.

 

"Yes, I've dealt with your father in the past. That was few years now, but nothing that can not interest you, you were still a tiny little shrimp when I met you." Magnus sighed and took a sip.

 

Alec decided to imitate him and took his wine glass, that was still on the table next to him, where he had left a few minutes earlier. The red liquid had a pleasent enough shade of maroon, darker than the color of Izzy's tail but close to the color of her lipstick. He examined the bright red liquid and smell it. It smelled like something Alec didn’t knew, something sweet and tasty. He glance at Magnus, who was smiling at him, before taking a long sip.

 

Alec immediately cough at the taste of the red wine, it was too bitter, was alcohol supposed to be that disgusting? He didn’t even realized he had spat almost all the wine he had try to drink few seconds ago. Adding to that the fact that when he saw the look on Magnus’s face he immediately dropped his glass, which obviously broke as soon as it met Magnus’s floor. Wine spreading on Magnus’s, seems to be, very expensive and bright orange rug. 

 

Magnus frowned before flicking his finger once again and another glass appeared in Alec’s hand, then the mess disappeared, except from the red mark on Magnus’s rug.  
Alec looked terrified, he hasn’t been in Magnus’s mansion for ten minutes, and he already broke a glass, and make Magnus look at him with a weird look. Alec gulped when he saw the wicked look on Magnus’s face, almost as he was about to eat him. Alec began to shrug on his chair, uncomfortably, mumbling and babbling a flow of apologies. 

 

Magnus chuckled before standing up. 

“I’m quite offended, you know. That wine is pretty expensive, but nothing like the exorbitant price of that rug” Alec couldn’t see the smile on Magnus’s face as he was heading toward a huge drawer.

 

“I’m, I, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Alec started before Magnus cut him with the question Alec was waiting for.

 

“Tell me, Alexander” Alec shuddered as Magnus was pronouncing his full name. Usually only his parents were referring to him as “Alexander” his siblings called him Alec, and he prefered to be call that way. Did his siblings were wondering where he was? Were they worried about him, he should’ve probably went home when he could. But was it really too late? He was snapped of his thought by Magnus’s dreaded question. “What can I do to help you with?”

 

Alec immediately thought about Jace, about the young blond that was probably waiting for him around the reef, at least that’s what he was hoping for. 

 

“I, I want to become human.” Alec said so quickly that Magnus had to wait a moment before Alec could see a small smirk drawing on his face.

 

Magnus began to open a huge cabinet, and Alec quickly realized that, it was where Magnus kept all the ingredients he needed to make a potion. He started moving his wrists to the left, then to the right, and Alec was watching at him, impressed by the man’s magic. 

 

“Of course you want to be a human, you were meant for this.” Magnus whispered but Alec eared the man, even though he was trying to be discreet.

 

“What do you mean “I’m meant for this?”, can you explain?” Alec asked when Magnus was coming to face him.

 

“Well, you’re not asking me to tell you old stories, you’re asking me to turn you into a human, which will be quite easy, but required a good payment. As one of my friend said: Magic always comes with a price, deary!” Magnus smirked and Alec felt like there was a trap somewhere.

 

“Well, I, I don’t have any money, but if you let me go back to Alicante, I can…” Alec started his sentence but once again, Magnus cut him, quite sharply.

 

“Did I say anything about money, Alexander?” Magnus said as he raised an eyebrow.

 

“No, but…” Alec was cut once again, he started to be very annoyed by the man.

 

“Then that’s not what I want.” Magnus replied, still smirking.

 

Alec frowned as he was watching the man before him, he was so tall and handsome Alec felt his heart racing in his chest. But, he couldn’t let himself being distracted by the warlock, he wanted to be human as soon as possible so he would be able to go back to meet Jace on that beach, where he left him. He looked at Magnus with a determinate glaze. 

 

“What do you want?” He said, almost agressively that Magnus’s eyes snapped opened and he laugh.

 

“Well, you never cease to amaze me, Alec, where is the shy boy that was coughing wine few minutes ago?” Magnus chuckled but he didn’t really let the time for Alec to answer that as he was gripping the young boy’s chin in his hand, forcing the mermaid to finally look at him in the eyes. 

 

“What I want, darling, is simple. What about… We make a deal.” Magnus released Alec’s chin as the latter was watching him walking toward a large table. All the ingredients were there, waiting to be used by the warlock. 

 

“What? What kind of deal?” Alec asked, not sure about what the man was expecting from a barely adult mermaid. What could be so important to him that he wanted to make a deal with Alec?

 

“Here’s the deal, I’ll offer you a pair of legs for a month, till your 18th birthday. So you’ll have some time to fool around with your pretty golden boy.” Magnus started, and this time Alec cut him.

 

“How do you know about…” Alec started, but Magnus was faster and better at that game.

 

“I know a lot of things, darling, let me continue. So, you’ll have a month to seduce your precious blondie, John. No wait… Trace?” As he was thinking, Alec sighed and answered him.

 

“It’s Jace.” Alec said, obviously annoyed.

 

“Whatever. You will have a month not more or less, to seduce your man. I don’t ask you for a true love kiss or anything, but by the time, you should have confessed your feelings for him, and he shall accept them and feel the same way about you, of course. Otherwise…” Magnus hadn't finished his sentence and Alec was looking at him with expectations.

 

“Otherwise? Otherwise what?” Alec asked as he couldn’t handle the wait anymore. 

 

“Or you shall be mine.” Magnus simply replied.

 

Alec looked at him with horror. What does that even mean? Be “his” ? His what? He doesn’t mean sexualy? Or… 

 

“You’ll belong to me, not as a slave or anything like that. I won’t chain you up or imprisoned you in my dungeon. You’ll be more like… some company to me. You’ll be linked to me by my magic, and of course, you won’t be a mermaid anymore.”

 

“What?” Alec gasped.

 

“If I turn you into a human, you won’t be able to get your tail back. Simply because, your tail is what I’m asking for, as a payment.” 

 

Alec suddenly felt numbed, and it was nearly hard to breath as he tried to recall all the things Magnus said. So he would have a month to get to tell Jace what he was feeling for him? He didn’t even know what he was feeling for Jace, maybe it was just friendship… Then Alec’s heart started pounding in his chest and he was thinking that maybe it was more than that. He never felt like that with any other person, well at least, any other mermaids in Alicante.  
But what if he failed? He would have to lose his tail for ever? The only thing that he truly like about being a mermaid. And even worse, he would have to stay with that man, that warlock, for ever?

 

“I don’t have all day young man” Magnus sighed as he watched Alec thinking.

 

“Yes…” Alec mumbled.

 

“I didn’t hear you darling, what did you..” 

 

“I said yes ! You can have my tail, and change me into a human... Please.” Alec said, almost about to cry. 

 

He was thinking about his sibling, that he won’t be able to see after that. He thought about Isabelle and Max, that he saw growing up. He was the one to teach Max how to swim as the poor little one had a fin’s trouble, that prevented him from swimming correctly.  
He wouldn’t see Isabelle anymore, his sweet baby sister that liked to take him above the reef to admire the night sky during summer days. He would miss his mom a bit, even if she wasn’t home a lot, as she was teaching the young mermaids at school. And his father… He didn’t know if he would really miss him, he had been so harsh with him since the day he was born.

 

Alec was again snapped of his thoughts by Magnus handing a glass to him. 

 

“What is that?” Alec asked.

 

Magnus looked at him with an amused look.

 

“Nothing dangerous, it will help my magic during the process. It’s quite easy to change someone into a human, at least, for me. I’m a four hundred year warlock after all. Anyway, it might be easy, it remains powerful and will ask me a lot of magic and energy. This is what I like to call a “booster” so, drink up.” Magnus chuckled as Alec was drinking.

 

The mixture tasted like fruits, and, something strong, very strong that made Alec cough once again.

 

“Oh, yeah, there’s a little bit of liquor in that, to make you a little numb. Otherwise, you could feel some pain.” Magnus, returned to his table to grab a small flask of a red liquid, and Alec’s eyes went wide open.

 

“Will that hurt?” He asked, a bit panicked, as Magnus was coming back towards him.

 

“Yes, it will be painful, you can’t think such a transformation will be done without feeling any pain, I’m not your fairy godmother darling. Now, you’ll be a good boy, and lie on that couch so I can turn you into a beautiful man, not that you’re not beautiful now, but…”

 

Alec frowned and Magnus stopped talking, raising his eyebrows.

 

“Oh and drink this too, pretty boy.” Magnus said, handing the little red flask to Alec.

 

Without even thinking, Alec drank it, as he was finished, he hissed at the disgusting taste and almost slapped himself. He didn’t even asked what was that flask for.

 

“Hum. What was that?” Alec finally asked, with a bit of concern.

 

“That, my dear, is some potion I made so you can’t talk about our little deal. If your pretty blond ask you how did you became a human, you won’t be able to tell him I turned you, or you won’t be able to tell him you only have 30 days with him. You’ll only be able to confess your feelings for him, nothing more.” Magnus smirked as he saw the confusion on Alec’s face.

 

“What? You never mentioned this, but how will I explain to Jace that…” Alec began to speak but he found himself cut by Magnus once again. 

 

Magnus grabbed Alec’s chin, and smiled at him.

 

“Be happy with it, darling, I know some warlock that could’ve took your voice, so don’t play the “you didn’t mention it” part with me, or I’ll take that too, for ruining my rug.” Magnus winked and Alec gasp as he put a hand on his throat, hoping that when Magnus would be done, he would still have his voice. 

 

“Shall I?” Magnus said as he showed Alec the couch. 

 

Alec breathed heavily before laying on Magnus’s plushy and bright red couch. His tail was flipping a bit as he was anxious about what was about to come. Then… The pain started.

 

“Ughn..” Was the only thing that Alec could have said as his body felt pressed again the fabric of the warlock’s couch. He could feel the sharp pain going through his lower body. He was panting, grunting and soon he found himself crying and screaming for help. 

 

“That hurts! Stop it ! Stop it ! That hurts too much!” Alec repeated again and again but Magnus didn’t stop the process, and Alec couldn’t move. He was still screaming when he felt that Magnus’s magic was fading. Tears were rolling on his cheeks and he violently throw one of his arm over his face to cover it, and he throw the other to grab something. 

 

That something was Magnus’s silk shirt. He didn’t realized he gripped so hard on it, he broke the fabric, opening and ripping all the buttons, leaving Magnus’s shirt opened. The man frowned seeing one of his favorite shirts being torn apart but this little shrimp squirming and yelling on his couch. 

 

Once Magnus was done, he realized the young man was still crying and shivering under his touch. His hand wander for a bit before it landed on Alec’s raven hair, stroking consciously, as the sweet hazel’s eye boy came back to himself.

 

“Urgh” was the only thing Alec was able to say as he opened his eyes.

 

Magnus was there, beside him, sitting on the couch, and stroking Alec’s hair with a gentle touch. Alec realized soon enough that the water bubbled that was surrounding him few minutes ago was gone. He also widen his eyes when he realized that his gracious and long blue tail had been replaced by two, long but not so long, pair of legs. 

 

Alec started for what it seemed like an eternity to those strange things now attached to his body. He was so delighted by his new body part that he grinned before (trying to) race from the couch he was lying on.

 

Obviously, Magnus didn’t even bothered to mention that Alec wouldn’t be able to use his legs properly, has it was the very first time he would own a pair. So he felt his legs shivering and then crumbling under his weight and soon enough he found himself on the cold floor of Magnus’s mansion. 

 

Magnus whooped loudly as the young man was trying to get back on his… feet. Alec stared at him and almost pout like a child. 

 

“Hey ! Don’t laugh! You didn’t mention I wouldn’t be able to “walk” “ Alec almost spat the word as he couldn’t manage to stand up. 

 

Then Alec realized another thing, more shocking, as he was looking at the warlock with horror.

 

“Excuse me the question, High Warlock Magnus Bane, but if I may… Why the hell am I naked !” Alec yelled as he finished the question. 

 

He was bared naked on Magnus’s floor. Bare chest, bare legs, and nothing to cover his manly parts. He desperately tried to cross his legs, seeing that Magnus was quite amused by his strange gesture he decide to grab the rug to cover himself. 

 

Magnus chuckled, noticing that Alec was blushing furiously. He couldn’t really tell if the young man was angry or just embarrassed, but he decided to consider the second option. Alec was clearly not accustomed to nudity, and certainly not nudity in front of a stranger. Magnus sighed as he could totally imagine Alec naked body on his bed. Squirming, panting, legs spread open for him. He could also pictured himself between the young man’s legs, pleasuring him, as he would be screaming his name.

 

Then Magnus came back to reality, with a frowning Alec on the floor of his house. The poor boy was probably freezing like that. Then Magnus hummed before he looked back at Alec. 

 

“Don’t worry my sweet cheek, I bet your blondie will like that, as much as I do” Magnus mumbled the last words, and he smirked as he flicked his fingers, blue sparks flying as a portal opened under Alec’s naked body. “You sure know where you’re going? Isn’t it darling?” Magnus purred and Alec nodded. 

 

“Amazing. Hope to see you soon, Alexander” 

 

“What. Bane. No! You, you can’t send me like this ! Bane !” Alec yelled but it was too late already.

 

And Magnus disappeared as Alec crossed the portal. The last thing he could hear was ALec cursing on him. He let out a small puffed as he sipped the rest of his glass.

 

“Don’t worry Lightwood, you’ll see me again” Magnus whispered.

 

As he finished his glass, Raphael appear in the door step, a glass full of a purple dark liquid in it. Magnus glanced at him, with a suspicious look. The half boy - half octopus was staring at him, an evil grin painted on his juvenil face.

 

“What?” Magnus asked, aware of what Raphael was about to say.

 

“You know that, when you’ll get the boy back, he will be heartbroken, right?” Raphael was looking a his glass, taking a small gulp, he frown “You have terrible taste for wine, amigo”

 

Magnus sighed. He crossed the room to get closer to Raphael, and grabbed his glass. The boy hissed and Magnus smiled at him.

 

“Sorry for having terrible tastes as you said, you don’t mind if I finish your glass then” Magnus take a sip from the glass as Raphael was mumbling hateful comments about Magnus.

 

“Magnus, I know you have history with the Lightwood, but the boy…” Raphael started and Magnus laughed loudly. It wasn’t a cheerful laugh, it was full of hatred and anger.

 

“History? History.” Magnus repeat the word few more time before, he turn back and face Raphael, the latter gulped loudly as Magnus’s cat eyes were showing. Glowing with a bright yellow color, smiling like a true predator. 

 

“Magnus I mean…” 

 

“I know exactly what you mean. Indeed, this “history” is none of the boy concern.” Magnus almost spat.

 

Of course, the boy didn’t knew Magnus’s full history, how could he? He thought that it might have been throw away from the Alicante’s library. What a shame, it’s such a great tale. How Magnus had been turned into what he was now, and who he was before all of that. How Gideon Lightwood betrayed him and turned him into the monster he was now. This surely wasn’t in the mermaid’s precious history. Those silly creatures. 

 

Magnus snapped out of his thoughts

 

“Gideon Lightwood isn’t here anymore to incur my revenge, and making Robert Lightwood suffer is my only motivation, you know that. Of course, I could’ve told the boy the truth, I could’ve told him that… Anyway, I have so many things to win, so I’m not really ashamed about my behavior. Why would I be? I already got the blue tail, I’m going to get the pretty boy soon enough. Of course, he’s going to be heartbroken, but what can I say, I’m wicked. I want to play a bit with him.” Magnus grinned as he flick his finger and a new glass appeared in both his and Raphael’s hands. 

 

“Magnus, you know it won’t change anything, it won’t change what you’re now, you can’t get it back. This part of you died a long time ago, when Robert…” 

 

Raphael’s sentence was cut by the noise of broken glass on the floor. The glass didn’t slipped from his hand, Magnus had thrown it away with a brutal gesture. 

 

Magnus was angry, fist clenched, cat’s eyes more piercing than ever. 

 

“Don’t you think I’m aware of that? Don’t you think that I know what I’ve lost? Gideon Lightwood took it and Robert Lightwood destroyed it. So now I’m going to destroy something he loves too, his precious blue tail boy. I guess seeing his first born turned into a human for the rest of his life is a good start.” Magnus was now shooting, it wasn’t something that Raphael was used too. 

 

Usually, Magnus was calm and sarcastic. Now he was angry and his eyes were full of hate towards the Lightwood family.

 

“I guess you’re right. But I still think the boy has nothing to do with all of this, you’re going to break him Magnus.” Raphael looked down on his glass, now filled with white wine. 

 

“Then shall be it.” Magnus replied coldly, sipping his glass with one long gulp.

 

Then he traveled across the room to sat on a large and plushy throne near a monumental fireplace. 

 

Raphael left the room, leaving Magnus staring at the dancing flames. For the first time in year, Magnus was remembering secrets of his past, some secrets he thought he had buried a long time ago in his mind. As he closed his eyes, he let himself think about the young blue tail mermaid, that was probably with his precious blondie now. 

 

How the boy is going to react when he’ll learn the truth? 

 

And then Magnus let himself sinking into a deep slumber, dreaming about who he used to be.

 

***

 

Alec yelled as his butt hurt the ground violently. This damn warlock, sending him back on the beach, fully naked, with shaky legs he couldn’t even stand on.

 

He frowned and decided he would try one more time. He put both of his hands on the floor to make a leverage. He couldn’t say he looked ridiculous like that, butt in the air, naked and trying to stand on his feet.

 

After what it seemed like an eternity he finally managed to stand up, legs still shaking and his whole body was screaming to him to let go and just lay on the sand until Jace would come.

 

And the moment came sooner than Alec had expected.

 

“Alec?” Someone shouted from the top of the hill and Alec turned to see that Jace was standing there, golden hair twirling with the wind. 

 

Unfortunately, Alec may had turned too fast and his new body didn’t quite appreciate the gesture. He tripled in the sand and stumbled to found himself falling into the ocean. 

 

“That stupid warlock… Sending me here… Naked ! “ Alec was mumbling, seated in the cold water, cursing about that damn warlock that had turned him into a human few minutes ago.

 

Alec was trying to get rid of all the algaes that were wrapped around his ankles, his arms, and some that were now enthroned in his hair. Alec used to love algaes when he was living in Alicante. The large algae underwater fields, where he used to lay down all the afternoon, watching the sun’s reflections above the sea. 

 

And now, the sun was burning his pale skin, the algaes were sticky on his body, and he sand scratched his bare back. 

 

“Alec!” Jace yelled before throwing himself on Alec. 

 

He was full dressed with a black short and a white top, perfectly suiting his muscular body. Alec really felt like a shrimp when he was alongside Jace. 

 

“What are you doing here and…” Jace didn’t had the time to finish when he saw Alec lift his leg with what appeared to be a superhuman effort for him.

Alec moved all his toes and smiled happily at Jace. Jace wasn’t moving anymore and he glanced at Alec before he chuckled.

 

“Alec, why are you naked?” Jace asked, looking away. 

 

“So I’m on the beach, with brand new legs and the only think you’re asking me is why I am naked. I’ll remember that.” Alec pouted.

 

“I mean… How did you… You’re a. Is it real Alec? Are you really..” Jace couldn’t speak, he was too astonished by Alec’s human form.

 

He was thinner and smaller than himself, but he was in a good shape. 

 

“A human?” Alec asked, blushing while looking at his own legs. They were smaller than Jace’s and surprisingly they were hairless, even though he hadn't found his legs very masculine at the first sight, but he liked them. He found them pretty. Maybe not as pretty as his large blue tail, but still, his legs were awesome. 

 

Alec giggled, and Jace smiled fondly at his friend.

 

“Yes, I’m human!” 

 

“But how?” Jace frowned as he saw Alec wriggling in the ocean, as he was about to run away.

 

“Well after we got separated yesterday, I was about to go home when I…” Alec couldn’t finished his sentence, he found himself coughing a large amount of algaes. 

 

“Alec? Fuck, Alec are you ok what is that?” Jace yelled as he tried to get the algaes out of Alec’s mouth.  
The latter was still coughing, and crying as he couldn’t breath properly. This damn warlock had warned him, he wouldn’t be able to tell Jace how he became human. 

 

“Are you alright? What happened?” Jace inquired as he was watching Alec cursing against a certain… Mangus? Mango? Whatever. 

 

“I hate algaes, I used to love them when I was a mermaid, I just hate them now!” Alec whined as he was still spitting some green substances.

 

Jace laughed once again before lending Alec his hand.

 

“Come on, stand up, you can wrap my t shirt around your waist. We'll go home and you find clean clothes.” 

 

“You mean? I can stay with you?” Alec asked, unsure, but happy.

 

“Of course, unless you wanna build some sort of cabin here, I wouldn’t mind, but the beach belongs to my father so you’d have to ask him first. Unfortunately, he’s on a business trip for two weeks, so you’d have to stay with me.” Alec smiled. 

 

Alec’s face enlighten with the news, he’s going to stay with Jace. That’s what he wanted. And he would be alone with him for two weeks. Maybe he would have the time to confess to Jace? But, to confess what? Does he really love Jace? Or was it just some kind of impression? 

 

But then Alec looked at Jace, seeing him smiling and giving him his hand. He felt butterflies in his tummy. 

 

Yes, of course, it couldn’t be anything but love.


End file.
